Being carried onto an ambulance at the start? But this is America!

"Ugh—mmm—ugh—mmm—"

The siren of an ambulance pierced his ears roughly, not the familiar "It's over, it's over, it's over" that Li Ping knew.

Like the ambulances in Los Santos in GTA?

Li Ping was in a daze, thinking, "The company has been working overtime for two days straight, and that bastard is playing games again."

He suddenly opened his eyes.

His vision was first filled with a dazzling white, and then the smell of disinfectant mixed with an indescribable body odor rushed into his nostrils, making his scalp tingle.

No, it looks like an ambulance.

Li Ping's eyes darted around, and to his left was the imposing Black young lady who occupied his entire field of vision.

The vehicle jolted and the flesh churned.

On the right was a thin, white young man holding a flashlight, who had just moved away from Li Ping's sight.

Both were dressed as caregivers, one in black and one in white. Which hospital ambulance would dare to use such an eerie combination?

Li Ping blinked in bewilderment as three illusory cards appeared before him.

Upon closer inspection, each of the three cards had a line of small print on it.

[Xiao Ji: Fifth Street is giving away fresh food today, with a chance to win a sleeping bag.]

[Uncertain: An ambulance will take you to a private hospital. You may be diagnosed with brain death today and become an organ donor; or you may be treated for a cold.]

[Very unlucky: An armed fugitive is hiding in a poor street. If you can subdue him and extract a confession, you may have unexpected gains.]

[Identity: Homeless (Identity will be entered into the system once confirmed)]

"??"

He recognizes all the words, but putting them together makes his brain shut down.

The white caregiver said, "Hey, Asian kid, you're awake. You have a pretty high fever. Don't move around."

Pure American English.

Li Ping's heart skipped a beat.

His English is mediocre; he only knows how to read and write on tests. How could he possibly understand spoken English?

Based on everything that happened after he woke up, he vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

Unlike in China!

He tried to speak, but his throat felt like it had been sanded, and he could only make hoarse, breathy sounds.

"what……"

"Brother, you're awake!" an urgent voice interrupted, in Chinese.

Li Ping looked in the direction of the sound and saw a boy curled up in the corner.

He had a buzz cut, and his eyebrows and eyes were somewhat similar to mine, but his features were more defined, with broad shoulders and a wide back. Sitting there, he looked like a bodybuilder.

He picked up a bottle of mineral water, inserted a straw, and quickly handed it to Li Ping's lips.

"Brother, have some water. I couldn't wake you up this morning no matter what I did. Your forehead was so hot you could fry an egg on it, so I called an ambulance."

Li Fan's voice still carried a lingering fear.

The cool liquid slid down my burning throat, bringing clarity.

My younger brother, Li Fan, is seventeen years old.

Fragmented memories flooded his mind; Li Ping was eighteen again this year.

It's not time travel; memories of a past life that had been dormant for eighteen years were awakened during a high fever and coma, perfectly merging with the present.

Working overtime for two days and three nights meant eighteen years later, and he had to accept this reality.

He was called Li Ping in both his lives, and his memories were not confused.

Today is September 13, 2022, on Blue Star.

Blue Star is a parallel world similar to my previous life's Earth, but according to my memories, there are some differences.

Li Ping was rather unlucky in this life, losing both his parents at the age of ten, but fortunately leaving behind a large inheritance.

However, Li Ping and his younger brother Li Fan were too young, so the inheritance, along with guardianship, fell into the hands of their uncle, Li Xingzhou.

During the May Day holiday, Li Xingzhou took them abroad under the guise of traveling to relax, claiming it would broaden their international horizons.

The result was that they smuggled themselves across the border.

After a long and winding journey, on their first morning after arriving in America, Li Xingzhou and his family vanished without a trace, taking all their belongings with them.

The two teenagers, who were left with no relatives or identification, were arrested by the immigration authorities.

Because he was under 18, he was detained in a juvenile detention center for more than three months.

They were just released these past two days.

"grass……"

Li Ping closed his eyes, a sense of absurd frustration welling up in his chest.

Li Xingzhou was blinded by the self-proclaimed intellectuals who touted America; if it weren't for that bastard...

In this life, he should be enjoying the autumn sunshine in a classroom at a prestigious university in China, with a script like "Who Falls in Love After Time Traveling?" and "I'm Really a Big Star".

He was a very good student, ranking in the top three at a key high school, but now he has missed the college entrance examination.

He even became a homeless person in America.

Needless to say, the kill line is already hanging over our heads.

Oh, and ambulances too. In America, the sound of an ambulance is worth a fortune.

孽 孽!

"Damn it! Look at this road, it's like it's got a bowel obstruction! Los Angeles's ass is completely blocked again!"

A furious roar came from the direction of the cockpit.

With a sudden stop and a rough lane change, the entire carriage shook.

Li Ping's body slid on the smooth stretcher, his ribs aching from the seatbelt.

Li Fan immediately reached out to steady him, his arm muscles taut, displaying strength far beyond his years.

Li Xingzhou raised his two brothers in different ways.

Li Ping is intelligent, and Li Xingzhou has found him many foreign teachers to improve his English.

Li Fan, due to his strong physique, received early guidance from Li Xingzhou in sports training and is now a 1.9-meter-tall sports student who rivals bodybuilders.

Looking back now, it all seems like it was all premeditated.

One was responsible for communication, and the other acted as a bodyguard, perfectly escorting Li Xingzhou to the United States safely.

Then, the lightning disappeared.

If you don't abandon the two brothers, you should support them through university, marriage, and buying them houses.

What a joke! The high tuition fees and housing prices in America... don't bring in enough money for three people to live a decent life.

"Li Xingzhou..."

Li Ping gritted his teeth in hatred, "You'd better die soon..."

The ambulance was like a raging bull trapped in a torrent of steel, each angry siren drowned out by the even larger urban clamor.

"Don't think that just because someone's flashing lights they're an emperor, you fool!"

"Hey, you blind guy driving a Toyota, did you get your driver's license by eating tacos?!"

The driver, a typical California redneck, was greeting the family tree of every car in the purest slang.

Each jolt caused the three cards floating at the edge of Li Ping's field of vision to tremble slightly.

Especially the white, undetermined card in the middle:

"...If you're taken into the operating room, you'll be diagnosed as brain dead."

The situation was more serious than Li Ping had imagined.

In America, a young, healthy homeless man with no vices is practically a walking "Gundam parts package".

"I have to do something!" Li Ping instantly snapped back to reality.

Inside the car, the white caregiver sat back in the folding chair, staring blankly out the window at the tall buildings passing by.

The large-bodied Black female caregiver was casually tidying up the equipment.

It's not that bad yet.

Li Ping unbuckled his seatbelt and sat up, his muscles trembling slightly from weakness.

"Xiao Fan,"

He spoke in his local dialect, his voice low, "We'll find a chance to jump off the train."

"Jump out of the car?"

Li Fan was taken aback and said, puzzled, "Brother, you have a high fever. Wouldn't it be better if we went to the hospital to get it checked out?"

"This is America."

As Li Ping untied his restraints, he looked out the window.

"An ambulance? It starts at a thousand dollars. If you can't afford the bill, you'll have to go through hell, bro."

"I can sell my blood..."

Li Fan had seen blood banks before; you could sell your blood for money, and the business was very good.

"Selling blood?"

Li Ping almost laughed in anger, then felt a pang of sadness. "The bill is in US dollars, it's not that cheap. Even if you were drained dry, it wouldn't be enough. I just have a fever, I won't die."

Seeing the worry in his younger brother's eyes, Li Ping was somewhat moved.

It's not bad to have a younger brother in this life who is willing to sell his blood to treat his illness.

"ah..."

Li Fan's mouth dropped open in surprise.

He always listened to his brother, and besides, a fever wasn't a serious illness.

He asked, "Why are you running?"

"When the next intersection is blocked, open the door, and we'll jump out of the car together!"

Li Ping's gaze swept over the two caregivers, and he spoke rapidly.

They clearly didn't understand Chinese, and only glanced at Li Ping as he sat up, without stopping him.

If it were a small, dark-skinned person, they would have already touched the stun gun.

"Los Angeles's guts are a rotten mess, constantly clogged! I'll be using a bulldozer sooner or later..."

The driver roared again, and the wheels came to a stop.

Li Ping looked at Li Fan, "Now!"

Li Fan reached out and turned the lock, then kicked the door open with fluid, effortless movements.

"Bang—"

The metal car door suddenly slammed open with a loud thud.

"elder brother!"

Li Fan quickly jumped down, grabbing the door frame with one hand and reaching out to Li Ping with the other.

Li Ping followed closely behind and jumped off the car.

The weakness from the high fever made him stagger when he landed, but Li Fan's iron-like hands immediately steadied him.

My younger brother has been exceptionally gifted since childhood; he's incredibly strong, able to lift Li Ping with one hand.

"Fuck, what are they doing?!"

In the Toyota behind, the Latino man stared wide-eyed, nearly spitting out his coffee.

"Oh my God!"

Helena, the Black female caregiver, gasped and instinctively reached out to pull him away.

"Ms. Helena."

The white paramedic's indifferent voice rang out.

"If I were you, I would never stop a homeless person who can't afford two thousand dollars. Let them go."

......

The two brothers crossed the pedestrian guardrail and plunged between two old buildings.

Honking horns, curses, traffic, the smell of disinfectant... were all left behind in an instant.

They ran through alleys filled with garbage cans and climbed over low walls.

From the relatively clean streets, we ran towards the low, dilapidated buildings with increasingly grotesque and dense graffiti.

Only after the ambulance sirens faded away did Li Ping sit down against a brick wall covered in graffiti, coughing violently.

"Cough...Stop...Stop for a second..."

Li Fan stopped and looked around warily, his chest heaving, but he seemed completely at ease.

No one is chasing you, danger is far away.

Li Ping greedily inhaled the air.

The air on the West Coast is a mixture of car exhaust, the smell of rotting garbage, and a hint of leafy greens.

Looking up, the nearby streets are dirty and messy, with faded discount store signs, a brightly lit tattoo shop, and a car wash with water flowing all over the ground.

Weeds stubbornly peek out from cracks in the ground, and shards of colored glass shimmer in the sunlight.

Not far away, the skyscrapers of the city center stood coldly, while the Federal Bank Building gleamed in the morning light.

Poverty and prosperity are separated by only a few streets, yet they seem like worlds apart.

Welcome to America!

This is the most responsible major country in the world.

With only 4% of the world's population, it supplies 70% of the world's blood plasma, consumes 70% of the world's drugs, imprisons 30% of the world's prisoners, and exports the world's largest number of human organs.

Who is more responsible than the United States?

"Brother, are you really alright? We..."

Li Fan asked for the nth time, his face full of worry.

Annoyed, Li Ping waved his hand dismissively.

"You're a 6'6" athlete, stop nagging like an old woman.

"How about... we go to the church? I heard they offer medical treatment..."

"Let me calm down first."

Li Ping closed his eyes again. He wasn't reborn naked; he had a cheat code.

Close your eyes, and three cards float silently before you, each shimmering with a distinct luster.

[Slightly Auspicious] [Unknown] [Very Inauspicious]

And at the very bottom, a line of simple gray text is exceptionally clear:

[Identity: Homeless (Identity will be entered into the system once confirmed)]

Li Ping's thoughts raced slightly. "He understands how to avoid danger and seek good fortune, but what the hell is this about confirming identities?"

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

There are no other identity options; it's good enough that they can accept the identity of a homeless person.

He made the decision and decisively clicked "Confirm".

Others can turn their lives around even with just a dog at the start, so he's not much different with a strong younger brother at the start.

Avoid deadly elements on the streets: gambling and drugs, stray bullets, drugs, mentally unstable addicts, police who frequently clear out areas, gangs dividing up territory, and immigration detention centers.

Survive, then make money.

Whether it's saving up for a plane ticket home or struggling to make a living in this godforsaken place, you need money.

Of course, you could also follow the example of the lecturers from your past life and become an online celebrity?

However, the situation in China is not right, and there are still many sheepdogs. If I post this, I'll probably be attacked.

As my thoughts drifted, the text below suddenly changed.

[Identity: Homeless (Currently seeking a safer identity)]

Below the identity description, new handwriting emerges like flowing water, fading with a faint gold hue:

[Awakened Identity Specialty: Wanderer]

"There are special skills related to your identity?" Li Ping looked over in confusion.